GLEN BURNIE, Md., Sept. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After 38 years at
Baltimore Washington Medical Center, 15 of those as president and CEO,
James R. Walker has announced his intention to retire by June 2008. The
announcement was made last night at the BWMC Board of Directors meeting.

"I have spent my entire professional career at this outstanding
organization," Walker said. "I am extremely proud of what we have
accomplished over the years."

Walker celebrated his 38th anniversary at BWMC on September 17. He
began his career at BWMC in 1969, just four years after the hospital --
then known as North Arundel Hospital -- opened its doors. From 1969 to
1977, he was an assistant administrator, and from 1977 to 1992, he was an
executive vice president serving as chief operating officer. He was named
president and CEO in 1992 and has led the medical center through
significant changes and growth during his tenure.

In 1992, when Walker became CEO, the hospital admitted 15,346 patients
and treated 44,066 patients in its emergency department. Now, the
hospital's emergency department has become one of the state's busiest,
treating over 85,000 patients a year. The medical center's admissions have
also increased, with 18,366 patients admitted last year.

Walker has overseen several major building projects on the BWMC campus,
including five expansions to the emergency department, the addition of a
new inpatient building in 1998 and the Tate Cancer Center in 2003. BWMC is
currently in the midst of a $117 million expansion project that will add
private inpatient beds, increase critical care capacity, expand the
emergency department once again, and bring obstetrics back to the hospital
for the first time since 1968.

"My decision to announce my retirement a year in advance is driven by a
very personal desire to do everything I can to help BWMC secure its
future," said Walker. "It provides BWMC's Board of Directors and the
University of Maryland Medical System adequate time to find an outstanding
successor and have an orderly transition."

Walker guided BWMC through its merger with the University of Maryland
Medical System in 2000. The merger allowed the hospital to expand its
services to its local community. Major programs such as the Tate Cancer
Center, Joslin Diabetes Center, and The Maryland Vascular Center have
brought more comprehensive, complex patient care services to Anne Arundel
County. These programs were recognized, along with the entire medical
center, in 2006 when Solucient(R) named BWMC one of the nation's Top 100
Hospitals.

"The quality of patient care has improved dramatically and the scope of
services provided has certainly grown during Jim's tenure," said Edmond F.
Notebaert, president and CEO of the University of Maryland Medical System.
"He continues to raise the bar higher and higher for the hospital, its
staff and physicians. Jim has never been satisfied with just being good; he
strives to be the best. His vision for BWMC has never wavered, as he seeks
to provide the highest quality of care for the community in the best
facilities."

In 2005, Walker spearheaded the hospital's name change from North
Arundel Hospital to Baltimore Washington Medical Center.

"That was a difficult decision for me personally because I had built my
career as part of North Arundel Hospital," Walker said. "North Arundel was
my home. But the change signified our commitment to expand our reach and
services to serve the growing communities that surround us. Our new name
reflects the progress that we have made over the years and our vision for
the future."

"As CEO, Jim Walker has created a culture which is reflective of his
own character as a leader and a humanitarian," said Melvin Kelly, chairman
of the BWMC Board of Directors. "He values teamwork, family, hard work and
celebrations of achievement. It is to Jim's credit that the staff,
physicians and patients at BWMC feel a sense of 'family.' I am convinced
that this is the reason for BWMC's consistently outstanding performance in
retaining excellent employees. Just this past year, BWMC was named the BWI
Partnership's Employer of the Year."

Walker has not only been instrumental in BWMC's success, but the
success of many community groups and service organizations in and around
Anne Arundel County. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Health
Care Executives and is a member of the American Vascular Association Board
of Directors.

"I will certainly miss being a part of this exceptional organization on
a daily basis," he said. "But I am excited by the possibilities that are
ahead for this medical center. I have had a tremendous career here that has
allowed me to serve this wonderful community and be surrounded by
exceptional people. I am very confident that my successor will have an
equally rewarding experience as BWMC continues its quest to be the best
community medical center in Maryland."

(Date:12/8/2016)... ... 2016 , ... STAT courier is pleased to announce that due to customer ... are expanding their presence in Dallas. One of the most exciting parts for STAT ... to the Dallas and Forth Worth market. STAT takes pride in treating their employees ...

(Date:12/8/2016)... MS (PRWEB) , ... December 08, 2016 , ... The ... serve commercial and residential clients in and around the Hancock County area, is announcing ... the Hancock County Food Pantry. , The Hancock County Food Pantry has worked for ...

(Date:12/7/2016)... ... December 07, 2016 , ... ... passage of the most comprehensive mental health systems reform legislation in more than ... the President, and the commitment of our elected officials to improving mental health ...

(Date:12/8/2016)... CITY , Dec. 8, 2016 ... US patents for improving the accuracy, reproducibility and ... images in long and small bone orthopaedic applications. ... approach to creating personalized orthopaedic restorations based on ... personalized orthopaedic restorations, the company harnesses the world,s ...

(Date:12/8/2016)... Dec. 8, 2016 A new study by a ... use of opioid therapy to treat chronic pain is ... of more harmful consequences, including death. Palliative ... Zankhana Mehta , M.D., authored the study which ... opioid therapy. The study was published in the December ...

(Date:12/8/2016)... 2016 Information products and services provider ... Scopus , the world,s largest abstract and citation database of ... for journals from over 5,000 publishers. The new set of metrics ... to and when to adjust a journal,s editorial strategy. ... , , ...